Judith 6

¹ and thei cumpassiden her townes with wallis, and gaderiden togidere wheete in to making redi of batel. ² Also the prest Eliachym wroot to alle men, that weren ayenus Esdrelon, which is ayenus the face of the grete feeld bisidis Dotaym, and to alle men bi whiche passage myyte be, 3 that thei schulden holde the stiyngis of hillis, bi whiche weie myyte be to Jerusalem, and that thei schulden kepe there, where streyt weie miyte be among hillis. 4 And the sones of Israel diden aftir this, that Eliachym, prest of the Lord, hadde ordeyned to hem. 5 And al the puple criede to the Lord with greet instaunce, and thei and the wymmen of hem mekiden her soulis in fastyngis. 6 And the prestis clothiden hem silf with heyris, and yonge children boweden hem silf ayens the face of the temple of the Lord, and thei hiliden the auter of the Lord with an heire. 7 And thei crieden togidere to the Lord God of Israel, lest the children of hem schulden be youun in to prey, and the wyues of hem in to departyng, and her citees in to distriyng, and her hooli thingis in to defoulyng. 8 Thanne Eliachym, the grete prest of the Lord, cumpasside al Israel, 9 and spak to hem, and seide, Wite ye, that the Lord schal here youre preieris, if ye dwellinge dwellen perfitli in fastyngis and preieris in the siyt of the Lord. 10 Be ye myndful of Moises, the seruaunt of the Lord, which not in fiytynge with irun, but in preiynge with hooli preieris, castide doun Amalech tristinge in his vertu, and in his power, and in his oost, and in hise scheldis, and in hise charis, and in hise knyytis; 11 so alle the enemyes of Israel schulen be cast doun, if ye continuen in this werk, which ye han bigunne. 12 Therfor at this excityng of hym thei preieden hertli the Lord, and dwelliden in the siyt of the Lord, so that also thei, ¹³ that offriden brent sacrifices to the Lord, weren gird with heiris, and thei offriden sacrifices to the Lord, and `aische was on her heedis. ¹⁴ And alle men of al her herte preieden God, that he wolde visite his puple Israel. ¹⁶ And it was teld to Holofernes, prince of the chiualrie of Assiriens, that the children of Israel maden redi hem silf to ayenstonde, and that thei hadden closid togidere the weies of hillis. ¹⁷ And bi ouer greet woodnesse he brente out in to greet wrathfulnesse; and he clepide alle the princes of Moab, and the duykis of Amon, ¹⁸ and seide to hem, Seie ye to me, who this puple is, that bisegith the hilli places; ethir whiche, and what maner, and hou grete ben her citees; also what is the vertu of hem, ether what is the multitude of hem, ethir who is the kyng of her chyualrie; ¹⁹ and whi bifor alle men, that dwellen in the eest, han these men dispisid me, and thei han not go out to resseyue vs with pees? ²⁰ Than Achior, duyk of alle the sones of Amon, answerde and seide, My lord, if thou vouchist saaf to here, Y schal seie treuthe in thi siyt of this puple that dwellith in the hilli places, and a fals word schal not go out of my mouth. ²¹ This puple is of the generacioun of Caldeis;